Auto, steel warring over mercury bill

Still some hope for a compromise.

Still some hope for a compromise.

February 14, 2006|MARTIN DeAGOSTINO Tribune Staff Writer

INDIANAPOLIS -- The auto and steel industries locked horns Monday over legislation designed to remove thousands of pounds of mercury from the waste stream. Lawmakers and lobbyists said the impasse could scuttle the bill, although time remains to craft a compromise before the legislative session ends. House Bill 1110, now in the Senate, prohibits steel mills and foundries from accepting mercury-contaminated scrap. Typically, that occurs when mercury-activated convenience lights from vehicles are crushed or shredded by salvage dealers or scrap yards. When smelted for reuse, the scrap produces mercury emissions that settle in water and eventually contaminate the food chain. Mercury is a potent neurotoxin linked to cognitive deficiencies in humans, particularly children and fetuses. Smelted scrap is a relatively small source of airborne mercury, according to the Indiana Chamber of Commerce. But pending federal rules will target mercury emissions at steel mills and foundries, and it is widely believed that smokestack removal will cost far more than intercepting mercury-tainted scrap. On that, the industries agree. But steel mills want automakers to pay all costs associated with the interception, because car companies installed the switches. Detroit -- European and Japanese automakers stopped using mercury switches long before their U.S. counterparts -- wants steel to share the costs, because steel will benefit if emission controls are not required. Consumers could share the costs if lawmakers assigned a small fee, perhaps on vehicle registration, to cover switch-removal costs by salvage yards. But House lawmakers stripped a fee provision from the bill before sending it to the Senate, where the bill's sponsor says reinsertion is unlikely. Sen. Beverly J. Gard, R-Greenfield, who leads the Energy and Environmental Affairs Committee, said she wants a bill with teeth -- funding -- to ensure that switches are removed. She asked the Chamber of Commerce, which represents both the warring industries, to provide a list of funding options the committee can consider. Staff writer Martin DeAgostino: mdeagostino@sbtinfo.com (317) 634-1707